Combined flashlight and electric circuit tester



A. V. OLSON Nev. 17, 1942.

COMBINED FLASHLIGHT AND ELECTRIC CIRCUIT TESTER Filed June 11, 1941 ATTORNEYS Patentecl Nov. 17, 1942 COMBINED FLASIHJGHT AND ELECTRIC CIRCUIT TESTER Axel V. Olson, Porter, Ind. Application June 11, 1941, Serial No. 397,641

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined flashlight and electric circuit tester and has for an object to provide the socket member of a plug connector, and connections therefor, which will form a removable closure for the lower end of the flashlight and will provide a simple efllcient circuit closer at this point when the device is being used as a flashlight, and will provide a circuit closer when testing terminals are being used and the flashlight switch is open.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combined flashlight and electric circuit tester constructed in accordance with the invention, with portions broken away to show the electrical connections of the flashlight circuit and the tester circuit.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the flashlight bulb in rear elevation.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1 showing the socket member and other parts at the lower end of the flashlight in front elevation.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 showing the electrical conductors carried by the socket member spring prongs in front elevation. t

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections of the flashlight circuit and of the testing circuit.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, a flashlight is shown having a case I0. At one end of the case is a reflector II and a cover l2 having a lens l3 therein. The reflector is provided with an integral lamp socket llhavinga cylindrical extension 15 provided with a dished conductor flange l6. A clamping ring I1 is engaged with the base of the lamp bulb Ill behind the socket, being threaded onto the base and abutting the rear face of the socket, to secure the lamp in position similar to alock nut in function. The clamp ring is provided with diametrically disposed ears I3 to serve as finger pieces in applying and removing the clamp ring.

A circuit closer 20 is slidably mounted on the inner surface of the case and is grounded to the case. The circuit closer is equipped with a switch button 2|. When the button is shoved forward, the circuit closer is moved to circuit closing position with the conductor flange l6, and when the button is retracted, the circuit closer is moved to open circuit position out of contact with the conductor flange i6.

The center terminal 22 of the lamp bulb is in direct contact with the center terminal 23 of a two cell battery, the cells 24, see Figur 5, of which are connected in series. The outer wall of the lowermost cell, which constitutes the outer terminal of the battery, s in electric communication with conductors carried by a socket member 26 of a plug connector, which forms a closure for the lower end of the case as will now be described.

The socket member 26 is of the conventional type having a pair of spring prongs 21 and 28, see Figure I, mounted in respective recesses, and adapted to be engaged by the prongs 29 and 30 of a plug connector cap 3|, which in the present embodiment of the invention is provided with conductor wires 32 and 33 equipped with conventional test terminals 34 and 35.

A disk 36, formed of insulating material, is disposed on the inner face of the socket member 26 and is provided with an annular recess 31, concentric with the axis of the disk, having a bevelled outer wall 33 against which a dished conductor ring 39 ig firmly secured, in any preferred manner. The disk 36 is secured to the socket member 26 through the medium of a screw 40 which is disposed axially in the socket member and is threadedly engaged through a metal bar 4| which is disposed in a countersink 42 formed on the inner face of the disk 36.

The base convolution of a frustum shaped helical spring 43 is disposed in the countersink 42 underneath the bar and forms an electrical connection with the outer wall of the lowermost cell 24, see Figure 5. The socket member 26, disk 36 and spring 43 are assembled as a unit by the screw 40. A base screw cap 44 houses the socket member 26 and disk 36 and is threadedly engaged with the lower end of the case It. The base screw cap is secured to the socket member by a stop flange 45 on the screw cap engaging in rear of a shoulder 46 on the disk 36, see Figure 1. Removal of the screw cap, socket member and helical spring as a unit from the case permits used battery cells being replaced.

A conductor bar 41, see Figure 4, is secured to the inner face of the socket member 26 by the screw 40, see Figure 1. The conductor bar extends diametrically across the inner face of the socket member and projects at both ends through openings 48 in the socket member. The extreme ends oi the conductor bar are disposed between the stop flange 45 on the screw cap and the shoulder 46 on the disk 36. The conductor bar is formed integral with the spring prong 21 of the socket member, see Figure 1, and thus the conductor bar 41, screw 40 and prong 21 are electrically grounded to the case Ill.

The companion prong 28 of the socket member is provided with a conductor bar 48 which extends along the inner face of the insulating disk 36 and is electrically connected to the dished conductor ring.

A conductor bar 50 extends longitudinally of the case In and is coated with insulating material 5|, except at the ends. The lower end of the bar is free of insulation and is ofiset, as shown at 52, to engage the dished .conductor ring 39 carried by the socket member 36. The upper end of the bar is free of insulation and is offset, as shown at 53, in Figure 2, to engage the dished conductor flange i 6 adjacent to the lamp bulb l8.

When the device is to be used to test circuits, the test terminals 34 and 35 are connected in the circuit to be tested. The switch button 2| is retracted to disengage the circuit closer 20 from the dished conductor flange I6, see Figure 5. Thereupon a circuit may be traced from the center contact 23 of the uppermost cell 24, through the center contact 22 of the lamp bulb l8, lamp socket l4, dished conductor flange l6, longitudinally extending conductor bar 50, dished conductor ring 39, conductor bar 49, spring prong 28 of the socket member, prong 30 of the cap member, conductor wire 32, terminal 34, to the circuit to be tested and from the circuit to be tested through the terminal 35, conductor wire 33, prong 29 of the cap member, prong 21 oi. the socket member, conductor bar 41, screw 40, helical spring 43, to the outer wall of the lowermost battery cell 24. If the circuit being tested is in good working order, the lamp bulb I8 will light.

When the device is to be used as a simple flashlight, the button 2| is pushed forward to engage the circuit closer 20 with the dished conductor flange iii. The flashlight circuit may now be traced'from the center contact 23 of the uppermost battery cell 24 to the center contact 22 of the lamp bulb i8, lamp socket l4, dished conductor flange l8, closed circuit closer 20 to the case Hi, and from the case it through the bar 41, screw 40, spring 43, to the outer wall or the lowermost battery cell 24.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined flashlight and electric circuit tester including a flashlight case, a conductor ring forming an outer terminal for the flashlight bulb. a conductor bar engaging said ring, a pluginvsocket closing the lower end of the flashlight case having spring prongs, a conductor ring insulated from the socket engaging said conductor bar, one of said prongs being connected to the last named conductor ring, a screw engaged through the socket connected with the other prong, 'a helical spring forming a conductor adapted to engage the case or a battery cell, and a metal clamp engaged with the spring and threadedly engaged with said screw, said scrcw assembling the spring, the insulated conductor ring and the socket as a unit.

2. A combined flashlight and electric circuit tester including a flashlight case, a circuit closer grounded on the case, a conductor ring -iforming an outer terminal for the flashlight bulb engaged by the circuit closer in circuit closing position, a metal screw cap closing the lower end of the case, a plug-in socket carried by the screw cap having spring prongs, an insulating disk disposed on the socket within the screw cap, a conductor ring carried by the disk, a helical spring on said disk adapted to engage the case of a battery cell, a screw forming a conductor and assembling said disk, said spring and said socket as a unit, a conductor bar engaged with one of said prongs, with the screw and with the screw cap, the other oi said prongs being connected to the last named conductor ring, and an insulated conductor bar engaged at the ends with both of said conductor rings, the flashlight circuit including the first named conductor ring, the circuit closer, the case of the flashlight, the screw cap, the first named conductor bar, the screw and the spring, the testing circuit including the first named conductor ring, the insulated conductor bar, the second named conductor ring, one of the prongs, the other prong, the first named conductor bar, the screw and the spring when the circuit closer is open.

AXEL V. OLSON. 

